Pupils from St Ronan’s Primary School in Newry recently stepped into the role of nature detectives with NI Water when they paid a visit to Silent Valley Reservoir.
During the study trip to the beauty spot, the children learnt why the site was chosen to become one of the most important water supplies in Northern Ireland.
NI Water’s Environmental Education Manager, Jane Jackson explained, “NI Water places great importance on educating young people in the vital role water plays in our lives.
“Bringing the children to Silent Valley makes the learning experience much more powerful as all the activity is very ‘hands on’.
“The programme allows children to learn about the history of the site and examine how its structure has influenced the natural landscape of the area.
“On their exploratory travels children will also have the opportunity to observe the resident wildlife in their natural environment and investigate contrasting habitats and native flora and fauna.
“With our visitors centre recently refurbished, the children will experience what life was like in water town for the people who built the reservoir,” Jane added.
The site visit is part of NI Water’s educational programme, aimed at Key Stage 1 and 2 and covers a key element of Northern Ireland’s Primary Curriculum – ‘World Around Us’, which includes ‘Interdependence’, ‘Place’ and ‘Change Over Time’.

This website does not share personal information with third parties nor do we store any information about your visit other than to analyze and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies. You can turn off the use of cookies at anytime by changing your specific browser settings.

We are not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without our permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on 16/01/2017. If you have any questions feel free to contact Newry Times by emailing editor@newrytimes.com